Brock and Furness Labs - News
New Staff
A number of new staff have commenced in the laboratory
Associate Professor James Brock transferred his laboratory from the Spinal Injuries Research Centre, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute to create combined laboratories in January 2010.
Dr Joanna Gajewski commenced in the lab in late 2009 as Program Manager of the Spinal Cord Injuries Program.
Three Research Assistants
Hyun-Jung Cho commenced in the lab in late 2009 on a one year Research Assistant contract to undertake work on electrophysiology of enteric neurons.
Rachael Abela and Yan Hong Tan commenced as Research Assistants in the lab in January 2010. Rachael will be working on the spinal cord injury program and Yan Hong will be working on in vivo Physiology experiments with Dorota Ferens.
New Students
Three PhD Students have joined the laboratory in 2010
Hussain Al Dera arrived from Saudi Arabia in February to commence his PhD under the supervision of James Brock and John Furness. He will work with James and John investigating changes in blood vessel function that occur following spinal cord injury.
Niloufer Johansen transferred from the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute at Sydney in January to continue her PhD studies under the supervision of James Brock. She is working on the effects of diabetes on neurovascular transmission in arteries supplying the skin.
Michelle Thacker resigned as a Research Assistant in the Furness lab in December 2009 and commenced a PhD degree in January 2010 under the supervision of John Furness. She was awarded an Australian Postgraduate Award from the University of Melbourne to undertake studies of reactions of enteric glia following ischemia reperfusion injury.
One Honours Students has joined the lab this year
Soraya Burrows commenced her Honours course in January 2010 and will work with Dorota Ferens and John Furness on the maturation of colo-rectal reflexes
Visitors
A number of overseas academics will be visiting the laboratory in 2010
Domenico (Mimmo) Russo, a veterinary medicine graduate from Italy arrived in early March and will visit the lab for a two and half month period.
Dr Purnima Sharma from India will arrive in April for a six month research period, supported by an Endeavour Fellowship. Purnima is a graduate of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
Farewell
Katsuyo Ohashi-Doi from Japan was farewelled in December 2009 after having visited the lab for approx 18 months. We are maintaining collaboration with Katsuyo.
Michelle Thacker resigned from her Research Assistant position in the lab after six years and accepted an Australian Postgraduate Award from the University of Melbourne and commenced PhD studies in January 2010 under the supervision of John Furness.